


Breaking The Habit

by Cynorca



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, SouHaru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 16:25:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3616458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cynorca/pseuds/Cynorca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nanase Haruka’s previously-assumed-dead body rose slowly from the bathtub, splashing water in every direction in the bathroom as he flips his bangs around. Casually.</p><p>Haruka opens his eyes and moves his gaze to Sousuke sideways... Their stares lock on to each other; ocean blue meets sky blue. “You...” murmurs Haruka with his flat voice. “...are very noisy.”</p><p>Sousuke tries his best not to strangle the other swimmer and push him back to the bathub back to his beloved water-chan.</p><p>And this, is how he will remember his first date with a weird guy named Nanase Haruka.</p><p>*WARNING*<br/>(Thou I tag it as SouHaru, both parties didn't do anything that worth mentioning as a pair. And this one is freaking 5000 words in length.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking The Habit

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in episode 13 of Eternal Summer, approximately in autumn after the national tournament, before the Samezuka’s School Festival in the OVA. Therefore, both Sousuke and Haruka still call each other by their surnames.
> 
> Thanks for Satsuki19, the very first one who bled her eyes out by beta-reading this fiction. (Satsuki19: yes I beta-ed author’s note too lol)

Yamazaki Sousuke sighs.

Today is the first day of autumn in Iwatobi. The morning sunrays warming up the left side of his body as he sees its blinding light at the corner of his teal blue eyes. The weather is no longer hot like summer, although it’s still far from being icy cold. It’s 10 AM in the morning, and he stands in front of an old-looking house, leaning against a _hyousatsu_ with the kanji ‘Nanase’ written on it. He'd already been standing there in silence for nearly half an hour, had also checked the _hyousatsu_ at least thrice, just to make sure that he’s not waiting in front of the wrong house.

Sousuke, unfortunately, owns an awful sense of direction. To make it worse, he had rarely ever been in Iwatobi before. Rin had already drawn for him the simplest and easiest-to-read map last night. But even the red-head was still fifty percent sure that Sousuke will get lost and even stated his worry bluntly. “This map is fucking easy, Sousuke—even a monkey can read it. If it still can’t help you finding Haru’s house, well, may god bless you.”

And now, Sousuke is really wondering whether his sense of directions is even worse than that of a monkey's or there really is another household with the same surname as Nanase Haruka.

This all started when Sousuke, finally, after much deliberation, practice, and thumping heart, asked a man named Nanase Haruka out to watch a movie with him. And surprisingly, Haruka said yes—well, he never really said yes but he’s not so hostile to Sousuke’s offer so Sousuke takes that as a positive feedback.

Now for the twentieth time, Sousuke checks his cellphone. Still no answer from the owner of the house in front of him. And again, Sousuke press the LED screen right on Haruka’s cellphone number in his call log history and dials, then rings the bell not-so-patiently once more... or maybe twice, or thrice. To do pranks on the bell until Haruka comes out from his nest is so tempting... if only there are no other neighbors around Nanase’s household.

But even after the fourth ring, the house remains as serene as before.

Where the hell is he? Did he forget about their appointment today?

“Tch.” Clicking his tongue, Sousuke finally walks around to Haruka's backyard to find the backdoor which, apparently, unlocked. Well, now it’s not his fault if he infiltrates the house without its owner’s permission.

Now let’s pray that this house really is Haruka’s and it’s not his bad luck that make him trespassing to the wrong house.

“I’m in.” Says Sousuke in a murmur.

Just like the outer appearance of the house, the interior is just as flat as its owner’s face (if the owner is really _him_ ). Quiet and empty, there aren’t many furnitures decorating the house. Sousuke checks the empty traditional living room first and finds a simple book shelf with some framed photos on it. Sousuke sighs in relief at the realization that he’s in the right house. Because there’s no way Haruka’s neighbor will put so many photos of the Nanases on their shelf. _Eat your shitty grin, Rin, I’m cleverer than a monkey._

There is a photo of little Haruka with his parents and grandmother, a photo of little Haruka with his relay team from elementary school—it looks like they won a competition together as the familiar four members smiled happily to the camera (except Nanase), while Rin held the trophy up high. Sousuke moves his glance to the right and he can see said trophy now standing proudly on the same shelf.

Sousuke continues his illegal tour to the kitchen. He still didn’t find Haruka there. Instead, with a confused frown, he finds himself staring at least two dozen canned mackerels lined on the kitchen table.

...Does this guy’s parents own a canned mackerel factory or something?

“Hey, Nanase.” Sousuke calls out, loudly, but no answer came. It almost looks like as if the house had been left empty by the owner. Now a bit desperate, Sousuke calls Haruka’s number for the twenty first time and finally got a glimpse of hope when he could finally, faintly, hear a cellphone’s ringtone ringing from inside the house... precisely from...

...the bathroom?

Nothing good comes out from these hints for Sousuke—unanswered ringtones, plus bathroom, plus unreplied calls in an empty house only equals in a very negative assumption. Without realizing that his footsteps had become hurried and urgent, Sousuke walks to the bathroom. The ringtone could be heard ringing louder from the inside. Well, it certainly looks like he had entered the right room, but then he spotted the cellphone laying innocently on a pile of clothes... now this feels even shittier....

Entering another door in the laundry room where he spotted Haruka’s cellphone, Sousuke’s pupils constricted in shock as he sees something that looks too much like Nanase Haruka floating in the bathtub....

“OI, NANA—“

_SPLASH._

Nanase Haruka’s previously-assumed-dead body rose slowly from the bathtub, splashing water in every direction in the bathroom as he flips his bangs around.

Casually.

Haruka opens his eyes and moves his gaze to Sousuke sideways... Their stares lock on to eachother; ocean blue meets sky blue.

“You...” murmurs Haruka with his flat voice. “...are very noisy.”

Sousuke tries his best not to strangle the other swimmer and push him back to the bathub back to his beloved water-chan.

And this, is how he will remember his first date with a weird guy named Nanase Haruka.

 

*

 

The first thing that Sousuke memorizes in his mental note of, ‘How to Date a Nanase Haruka’ is that the swimmer takes a bath in his jammers. Second is that he has a very weird obsession towards mackerel cuisines. It looks like this note will expand itself fast enough, seeing who it's about.

Mackerel sardines that pile up on the kitchen table sounds more like a prank made by his friends,  was Sousukes’s first thought before he sees with his own eyes how Haruka prepares his late breakfast—two fried mackerels between two slices of french toast. If that sounds horrible enough to lose his appetite, Sousuke wonders how Haruka is still living a healthy life when he sees a shabby recipe book at the corner of a shelf in the kitchen, titled ‘Mackerel Cuisines for 365 Days’.

Please highlight that, _365 days_.

“...Have you ever, just once in your life, ate something that isn’t fish?” Sousuke asked in a serious tone as he made himself comfortable on the dining table.

“Sometimes I eat squid. Here’s yours.” Was Haruka's answer that came with the push of a plate decked with mackerel french toast to Sousuke’s hand, and then sits on the chair opposite to Haruka.

“Enough with the seafood already.”

“I’m fine with mackerels. It contains lots of vitamins and enough nutrients for my daily supply.”

“Who are you lying to, Nanase?”

“Eat or get out, Yamazaki.”

Both are glaring each other for a minute, and finally, Sousuke sighs and take the plate. “I will sue you if I get food-poisoning from this.”

Miraculously, the toast tastes nice.

Not being able to believe his sense of taste anymore, Sousuke takes another bite and chews a tad bit slower. “This...—it tastes... good...?”

For Haruka, this is the first time he has ever heard someone praise him for his mackerel menu. He stares back at Sousuke, secretly dumbfounded, especially as Sousuke continues to eat his breakfast without any more complaints. He never gave a response to Sousuke’s compliment, though, and they both ate in silence for the next fifteen minutes.

Sousuke, on the other hand, is used to a fussy Rin who is very expressive on his thought and words. The person sitting in front of him, though, is Nanase Haruka, who maybe only opens his mouth limitedly to twenty words per day, has a very short range of facial expressions, and never got  quality time to talk without bickering with Sousuke (except if that time when Sousuke corners him to a vending machine in Iwatobi Swimming Club can be counted as ‘quality time’). Dealing with this guy might a lot harder than memorizing Samezuka Academy’s  directory map.

“Didn’t you say—“

Sousuke jumps (inwardly, of course). Who wouldn't when a pokerfaced human sculpture in front of you suddenly opens his mouth and breaks the silence?

“—That we’re gonna watch a movie today?”

Sousuke snorts out of reflex—which he starts to regret since this hostile reaction is not  really helping him in fixing Haruka’s impression of him, “I'm not the one soaking myself in a bathtub for nearly an hour resulting in us missing the train schedule.”

Haruka turns his eyes to a dolphin sticker on his refrigerator and murmurs, “I never asked you to wait for me.”

Remind Sousuke to add this habit to his mental note of “How to Date a Nanase Haruka” that an annoyed or embarassed Haruka will awkwardly deny everything.

“Yeah, and what’s the point of asking you to watch a movie with me, then?”

No respond. Those ocean blue eyes stare back at Sousuke with a flat look of ‘do I look like I care?’. Sousuke clicks his tongue eyes at the silent response and decide to check the movie’s schedule through his phone. “Next show will start at 2PM,” before glancing at his watch, “it’s 11 AM right now.”

“....”

“Okay, let’s watch the movie after lunch.”

“Whatever.”

_...Is this asshole even interested into going out with me at all?_

Without a sound, Nanase stands up from his chair and makes a beeline for his refrigerator.

“What are you doing?” asks Sousuke.

“Preparing mackerel for lunc—“

“—Okay, let’s eat lunch at a restaurant instead.”

“You just said mackerel tastes delicious.”

“Just because it’s delicious doesn’t mean I want to eat fish for the whole day.” Replies Sousuke, getting to his feet and grabbing Haruka’s arm, ignoring the other's annoyed protests.  
 

*

 

Haruka has never met a person as troublesome as this one.

After an almost forty five minute trip, he and Sousuke found themselves in a family restaurant at a shopping arcade in the center of Tottori. In reality, they actually only needed about twenty minutes commuting by train to arrive at the nearest station, but they had wasted another twenty five minutes  for arguing about which restaurant they would choose to eat their lunch.

Sousuke had, of course, rejected all recommendations with mackerel cuisine in the menu. Their quarrel had been long and tiring with lots of scenes where Sousuke had to drag Haruka out when he insisted to enter his chosen restaurant. And for the last five minutes, Sousuke had locked his muscled arm around Haruka’s much smaller frame and lifted him up about three centimeters in the air as the other had walked in to a restaurant that he had chosen one-sidedly.

Haruka sat in angry silence as Sousuke placed his order to the waiter. Haruka refuses to acknowledge the presence of the first man in his life that has put an offensive prevention against his dietary habit. And as the dishes Sousuke ordered was brought by the waiter to their table, Haruka gave Sousuke his best death glare when he sees none of the food is fish or seafood in general

“What? You had enough fish for the rest of your life already.”—that’s what Sousuke says.

Haruka takes a breath and open his mouth, “Mackerel is—”

“Don’t give me that bullshit about mackerel to me, Nanase. Tachibana may buy it, but trust me I won’t let you eat any seafood today.”

Haruka closes his mouth again, and Sousuke snorts, “Don’t sulk. You look a lot like Rin like that.”

“Shut up.”

“Rin said that you finally decided to be serious about swimming.” Sousuke cuts his beef steak calmly, “If you keep on doing that silly fish-diet, I can easily imagine your name on the last place in every tournament.” Sousuke’s lips corner twitch as he daydreamed at the thought. Haruka was about to pour his orange juice over Sousuke’s steak when Sousuke moves his gaze sharply to Haruka again, who moves his hand as if he was shooing away an invisible fly. “Doesn’t mean I'll protest if that’s going to happen, in fact, I’ll make sure I’m the first one who will call you and laugh my ass off.”

“Has Rin ever told you that you’re an asshole too?”

“I’m very willing to be an asshole, except towards you,” Says Sousuke sharply. “...Who never looked serious about anything before and then suddenly want to go pro with a half-assed effort like that.”

Haruka can see how Sousuke’s arm almost moves to his right shoulder but swifts awkwardly to his neck instead.

“Yamazaki—“

“So quit that ridiculous diet,” Sousuke stated as he used his fork to press a slice of steak to Haruka’s lips, “and start eating some meat.”

Later, both of them are engaged in a cold war sequel where Sousuke keeps on pushing a piece of meat to Haruka’s mouth while Haruka holds both of Sousuke’s arms stubbornly.  


*

 

The fourth note that Sousuke adds that day on ‘How to Date a Nanase Haruka’ is that Haruka’s weird obsession toward mackerel is just another freaky habit alongside his acute exhibitionism tendencies that pops whenever the other sees at least ten litres of clear water in a container.  

Sousuke had only heard some rumors about this before.

But when they were walking around the park near the shopping arcade and Haruka’s suddenly gone off in an impressive fifty miles per hour speed to an artificial pond, leaving him with a pile of clothes to take care of, Sousuke realizes that the rumor is actually true.

After giving explanations to the local security officers and apologizing for the act with the full attention of unwanted watchers, Sousuke finally checks in on Haruka who has just finished wearing all his clothes in the public toilet again, now drying his jammers in the sink with a longing gaze to the pond out there as if he hasn’t taken a public bath on it just five minutes ago.

Sousuke adds more points in his mental note about Haruka’s habit to wear his jammers everywhere. He’s suspicious that Haruka actually brings more than a single pair....

When the wet cloth finally stops dripping water, Nanase stays silent.

“What? Does the sink make you want take a bath in it, too?”

“...I didn’t bring anything to put this in....”

“....”

“....”

“...And you keep on jumping here and there to the nearest water sources. The fuck, Nanase....” Murmurs Sousuke. This whole situation is just too absurd.

“Makoto always managed to hold me back at the last second.” Says Haruka in a tone sounding so vile it seemed as if Makoto had done an unforgivable act. In fact, Sousuke actually started to respect the herbivore guy more after hearing that that he was always ready to prevent Haruka of being charged by the police as a pervert.

“Actually this is the first time I’ve ever soaked my whole body in public for more than 10 seconds.

Few minutes later, they continue their walk after finding a plastic bag for the damp jammers.

 

*

 

The fact that he’s not so reluctant to accept Sousuke’s offer to go watch a movie with him two days ago is surprising for Haruka himself.

The only time when the Samezuka’s swimmer ever talked to him this year was when he was pushed in front of a vending machine in the Iwatobi Swimming Club building. The second time, Sousuke cornered Haruka in his own school backyard—that intimidating aura was the main reason why two days ago Haruka accepted Sousuke third request to talk with him with the condition that they would only talk in a fast food restaurant near the Iwatobi station.

It was done as a prevention method so that Sousuke couldn't take any drastic measures at him. Haruka had absolutely no idea what kind of thing Sousuke wanted to talk over with him again, not when Haruka was sure that Rin must already told him that he would accept a scout offer from a university in Tokyo. Maybe, Haruka read it wrong—maybe Sousuke wanted him to go follow Rin to Australia, not just swim for a university team in Japan.

Even this whole thought ridiculed Haruka himself. But the way Sousuke looked awkward  in front of him didn’t really help his assumption. And thirty minutes later, both sat in front of each other awkwardly, separated by a small table that was very limited to put down two food trays on it. Haruka tried his best to ignore the way his and Sousuke’s knee collided with each other by eating his fish fillet—the restaurant sure used every inches of space as effective as possible so a man with unreasonable height and muscle mass like Sousuke would be squeezed in between the small space provided by the chair and the table.

Meanwhile, Sousuke had looked at him with his usual icy cold stare and hands folded, his drink completely forgotten.

It looked like that Yamazaki only wanted to talk when Haruka gave him his full attention, away from his fish fillet. At the same time, Haruka didn’t want to be stared at so awkwardly intense while he was munching at something in his mouth. Finally, after two bites, Haruka put his fish fillet down on his tray and asked, “Now what?”

“Do you have plans this Sunday?”

Haruka refused to answer. _What does he want to do if I don’t have any schedule, anyway?_

Sousuke showed him a piece of a small flyer with a big announcement on it that the flyer could be traded with two free tickets on a theatre in Tottori. Haruka moved his gaze from the free tickets coupon to Sousuke’s uncomfortable expression.

“I’m bored. Got this coupon from Rin, and it will expire this Sunday, but he can’t go because he got to take care of some documents to apply to a university in Sydney and it’s pretty complicated because he’s a foreigner and such. And I don’t want to ask Gou because Rin will kill me. And Kisumi is out of the question—“

“Yeah, yeah. In the end you don’t have any choice but ask me.”

“Tch. Sort of.”

“....”

“....”

“....”

“Well?” asked Sousuke again when he saw Haruka already digging into his fish fillet again without any polite intention to stop chewing and answer him.

“I’m still eating, Yamazaki.”

“Fine. Give me your number. I’ll text you the details.”

“I don’t remember mine.”

“E-mail, then.”

“Don’t know.”

“Check your cellphone, god dammit.”

“Left it at home.”

Sousuke rubbed his face tiredly, “You do know you live in the twentieth century?”

“It’s too troublesome to always bring one.”  Said Haruka without showing any remorse. Apparently, Sousuke wasn’t the first one who complained about this habit. “Just ask Makoto.”

“Why the hell do I have to ask Tachibana to call you?” Asked Sousuke in annoyed tone.

“Because he always bring his cellphone.” Answered Haruka again, still without remorse or any expression on his flat face in general, and it didn’t seem as if he realized that the last question was a rhetorical one.

Suddenly, Sousuke remembered some scenes at the Samezuka dorm where Rin would always shoot death glares at his cellphone every time he tried to contact Haruka. All of these scenes always ended with Rin angrily calling the Iwatobi Swimming Club Captain and asking the backstroke swimmer to go find Haruka for him.

At the end of the day, Sousuke was forced to ask Rin for Haruka’s number and text him the detail of their appointment plus a reminder for Haruka, in capslock, to bring his cellphone.

Though, well, said cellphone was left forgotten again this morning in the Nanase laundry room.

And now, he has lost sight of Sousuke in the theatre as they split up fifteen minutes earlier—Haruka wanted to go to the toilet, and Sousuke had to redeem their tickets.

Haruka looks at the big clock on the center of the theatre hall... it’s already two past seven—the film has already started. He already waits ten minutes for Sousuke and actually starts wondering where does he go in this not-so-big theatre..

Well, whatever. Haruka shrugs, and continues to admire the impressive detail of ocean view in a big A1 poster for the animated movie Tobidase! Deep Sea Creature (from his favorite videogame that he often played with Makoto). The poster is placed on the Now Showing section, and Haruka makes a mental note to ask Makoto to watch the movie with him, maybe also with the twins....

That’s the moment when Sousuke approaches him in hurry with a large box of popcorn and two cokes. “Didn’t you read my text? I told you to wait in front of auditorium 3, the movie has already started—”

“Where have you been?” asks Haruka.

“I bought snacks but the queue is taking so long so I text you—wait, you didn’t read my message, did you?”

Haruka shrugs. “I didn’t bring my cellphone.”

Sousuke sinks slowly into a squat in front of Haruka as he closes  his eyes and let out a tired sigh.

 

*

 

Twenty minutes after entering Auditorium 3, both Sousuke and Haruka has already run out of popcorn—hoarded mostly by Sousuke. The film has reached the scene where a little ghost girl in a worn-out white dress and messy jet black hair is staring at the camera with a vengeful expression. Half of the auditorium are screaming their heads off while both Sousuke and Haruka are chewing their popcorn, unfazed. That also happens to be the moment where Sousuke’s coke on his right hand is almost empty, while his left hand couldn’t find any popcorn left at the bottom of the box—instead, he finds Haruka’s hand (which was digging around for the last bit of popcorn).

“Sorry.” Whispers Sousuke and pulls his hand out, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Don’t mind.” Replies Haruka also in a whisper. In his palm, there are the two last popcorns he can find in the box, and he pass one of them to Sousuke.

“Here. Your share.”

It’s a matter of habit—with his right hand holding the can of coke and it’s unpolite to take things with his left hand, plus it’s a common thing to do if he’s with Rin. Without really thinking, Sousuke moves his body forward to Haruka and opens his mouth, taking the popcorn between Haruka’s fingers with his lips...

...And then eating it casually before finally realizing something by the look from Haruka’s shocked eyes, just as the main actress of the movie decides to scream bloody murder as she is chased by the vengeful ghost girl.

Sousuke stops moving his jaw and gulps the half-munched popcorn. Now feeling a sudden urge to blush a little bit.

“Err—sorry?”

But Haruka doens’t answer. He shifts on his seat, refusing to look or talk to Sousuke for the rest of the movie. And Sousuke himself can’t remember the rest of the ghost story on the screen—especially when he feels Haruka’s head on his left shoulder as the stoic man falls asleep.

 

*

 

"Nanase..."

"Oi, Nanase."

Haruka wakes up with a blinding light from the auditorium’s lamp which had finally turned on again. For the past few moments, Sousuke’s hand had been shaking his shoulder while calling out his name. The movie’s already over, and Haruka can hear hints of giggles from the passers by as they leave their seats and finds a teenage boy sleeping soundly on his friend’s shoulder.

For the first time since he went out with Sousuke on that day, Haruka feels that he must say sorry to Sousuke who is victimized from the current awkward situation.

But Sousuke brushes his apologize off, “Nah, that movie itself is boring shit.” he says as they go to the nearest trash bin outside the auditorium to throw their empty popcorn box and coke cans.

“Thanks for the treat.” Says Haruka.

“Well, just see today as my apology for cornering you to the vending machine.”

“....”

“....”

Sousuke rubs the back of his neck and sighs for another long silence that day. For god sake—is there really no topic for them to talk about together?

“Yamazaki.”

“Hn.”

“Heal your shoulder.”

Well duh, thank you, god in heaven. He knows that he’s asking for a topic but why had it to be that one seriously.

“Well, what do you think I've doing these past two years, you moron—“ Sousuke pauses when he looks at Haruka that apparently had never meant to be an insensitive bastard, but stares back at him seriously instead. At the realization that Sousuke silently asks an explanation from him, Haruka opens his mouth again.

“I... accidentally listened in to your talk with Rin at the regional.”

Sousuke moves his eyes to the trash bin. “Oh.”

“You said that you dislike how I’m being ‘half-assed’ toward swimming... but I think you’re just as bad as I am if you give up on your dream right now," Haruka mumbles quietly, “So heal your shoulder completely, and then go swim again. If you give up on everything now, then it’s really over.”

Sousuke was, honestly, surprised at the words. His ocean blue eyes stared at Haruka’s sky blue ones. For a moment, there’s only the buzzy sound of crowd around them before finally Sousuke cracks a laugh.

“You sound just like Rin, talking like that.”

“I’m not like anyone.”

Sousuke laughs again. Haruka wonders how nice it sounds, when it comes from someone who looks grumpy almost all the time in front of him.

“It’s getting late. Wanna go home?”

“Hn.”

 

*

 

Sousuke and Haruka walks towards the exit when they pass the Tobidase! Deep Sea Creature A1 poster again. Haruka takes his time to looks at the poster once more as Sousuke tells him that he wants to go to the toilet. And when the other swimmer is done, he approaches Haruka silently and looks at the poster for three seconds before asking,

“Do you have any plans tonight?

“...No.” Answers Haruka.

“Good. I’m still bored. Let’s watch again.” Says Sousuke, now showing him two tickets for Tobidase! Deep Sea Creature.

“Since when did you—“ Haruka stops mid-way when he realizes that, Sousuke had never gone to the toilet at all...

“Well, you stare at the poster every time we pass it." Says Sousuke.

“You’re doing unnecessary things.”

“Just see it as an apology for making you not eating fish for lunch today,” and Sousuke smiles, “Besides, you need to re-treat me for popcorns and cokes.”

Haruka can’t help but smile a little.

 

*

 

To be honest, Tobidase! Deep Sea Creature is another boring shit movie for Sousuke.  
   
The auditorium was full of kids and their parents and a lot of them are crying, sulking for ice cream, and talking with a very loud voice.

He can’t understand how Haruka likes to this kind of movie. Just like the way he doesn’t understand the eccentric swimmer’s love to mackerels, only want to swim freestyle, or his obsession to water. But, as Sousuke stares at Haruka’s expression as he watches the movie, with his blue eyes staring at the screen in gleam for ninety minutes straight without even blinking, Sousuke can’t help but smile softly at this sight that he's never seen before.

Later that night, when he arrives at Samezuka Dormitory building, welcomed by Rin’s smug grin as he open their room’s door, Sousuke just realizes that he had taken with him the plastic bag with Nanase Haruka’s jammers in it. The confusion soon turns into an unexpected smirk as he knows that this will lead him to meet Haruka again in the future....

And after all the arguments, bickerings, and awkwardness....

...This day is not really bad at all.

 

*

 

Months later, Sousuke finds himself standing alone in front of Samezuka indoor swimming pool, in the evening after the graduation ceremony of the third year members. Rin’s already resigned as the captain of the team and had passed down the position to Nitori, after breaking a record in a competition against the whole team.

Sousuke stares at the clear surface of the pool—as if the chaotic movements when dozens of the team compete against Rin this afternoon had never happened.

Well... this is really the last time.

Sousuke decides to leave when Rin comes out from the door, looking at him with a serious face.

“Rin—“

“Who says your shoulder can’t be healed?”

“Huh?”

“So what if it’s wrecked? Don’t crush your own potential before you even try....”

“....”

“I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

And Sousuke was stunned, his mind reeling back at the small talk between him and Haru months ago, in front of a trash bin near auditorium 3 in the theatre at Tottori....

_“If you give up on everything now, then it’s really over.”_

“I figured... that’s just what you would say,” says Sousuke. Yep, both of them are so alike....

Sousuke smiles and moves his gaze to the golden twilight sky outside the window.

“Well... I’ll give it some thought.”

  


*END*

**Author's Note:**

> I congratulate whoever you are who able to finish reading this fiction because, citing Sousuke, I’ll say this fic is a boring shit, I fell asleep 4 times in the middle of making it. BTW, the whole main idea is just about how it’s always MakoHaru and SouRin that it becomes a habit already, so let’s break that habit and pair Sousuke with Haru then push them to go out from their comfort zone and try to understand each other better.... That’s why I choose that silly title. But seriously, they don't do anything that worth mentioning in this fic.... The SouHaru tag might deceived you.
> 
> This fic's already finished long ago, few weeks after Eternal Summer had ended. Apparently, KyoAni had already done a very good job in making them understand each other better in the OVA, in just... 17 minutes or so. Making this whole fanfic look really ridiculous.
> 
> Special thanks for Satsuki19 who beta this fic, and for other things she had done.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> ~Cynorca, 2015.


End file.
